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Note about Customizing the PRTG Web Interface

With version 17.4.35, we introduced a new web interface for PRTG. Since its introduction, we have been getting a lot more requests regarding customization. This is problematic because customizations usually only apply to a very small number of customers (or even just one) and, compared to other cases, take more time to understand and provide adequate support for.

Up to now, we have mostly been able to fulfill customization requests. However, we can no longer handle the number of requests without the quality and speed of our support suffering. Therefore, we have decided to categorically decline requests for customizing the web interface or other PRTG components in any form (including maps and reports).

Important: You can still customize the PRTG web interface via the CSS and JavaScript files, but the feature is deprecated and might be removed completely in future PRTG versions.

We are no longer able to support you in implementing customizations.

Why will you no longer help with customization?

Until now, we have always helped users customize their PRTG. While this is true, the web interface is still fairly new and is subject to consequent changes with each release to optimize it further. Customizations for the new interface are therefore rather temporary and might only work (or even be necessary) for this very release.

The steps involved in customizing the web interface usually look like this:

Inspect the actual object to obtain its ID and/or CSS class

Modify the object using the styles_custom_v2.css

Check if the modified object is displayed correctly

This is the optimal approach but sometimes a lot of tweaking is necessary to get everything right, especially for map objects. Getting customizations to work might take a lot of trial and error and might take a long time. In the end, the result might be unsatisfactory. When the next release comes, your customizations might not work anymore and you will have to start the process all over again.

Example Scenario

The following is an example of another issue that shows why it is becoming increasingly difficult and time-consuming to help with customization:

Colleague A opens a support ticket and wants to change something in the web interface. Let's say they want to remove the right sidebar next to the device tree on the Device Overview tab, because they want to use the space for the device tree.

A few months later, Colleague B opens a support ticket because the sidebar is missing in their PRTG and they need it.

So, we check the installation, logs, etc. but can't find the root cause. Eventually, we check the CSS file and identify it as the source of the missing sidebar.

It took time for both us and Colleague B to solve the "homemade" problem. This is something we would like to avoid in the future.

Exception

While we will decline most requests for help with customization, we will continue to assist in cases where persons with disabilities (for example, a color vision deficiency) need help with making PRTG more accessible.

Disclaimer: The information in the Paessler Knowledge Base comes without warranty of any kind. Use at your own risk. Before applying any instructions please exercise proper system administrator housekeeping. You must make sure that a proper backup of all your data is available.